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Building Muscle with Single-Point Training

It is possible to build muscle and lose fat with single-limb (one-sided) training, but you should schedule your workouts correctly in order to get results. This type of training is critical for correcting structural imbalances, but you can not do this with a 15-minute workout as suggested by the popular men’s magazine. Research shows that in order to achieve an anabolic response, you must first train large muscle groups, then complete with structural balance exercises.

For example, a unilateral 11-week training program conducted by untrained men who did one-leg and one-leg workouts generated a significant increase in hormonal response to training. In the days when they did the workouts to a single arm without the lower part of the body, there was no increase in the hormonal levels.

This was a study with a unique design so on one side of the body people trained the arm and leg while on the other side only trained the arm. The same volume and intensity were used on both sides. The results showed that gains in strength, power, and muscle were much greater on the side of the body in which both the upper and lower body were trained, compared to only arm training.

Researchers think the answer much greater anabolic growth hormone and testosterone, generated in the upper arm profits trained on leg / arm. Not only greater anabolic response increases hypertrophy in trained muscles, it also improves neural adaptations for strength.

A second study with more conventional training shows the effect of unilateral training. The researchers compared the hormonal response to a one-sided whole-body workout, with a bilateral workout, using the same exercises. The results showed that growth hormone and insulin were significantly increased after bilateral training, but not unilateral hormonal response.

It can be understood that in order to achieve the ideal endocrine response to your workout, you should start them with exercises for large muscle mass in the lower body such as squats, deadlifts, Olympic lifts and other multi-joint exercises. Assuming trains with adequate volume and intensity, advanced static (split squats), steps (step-ups) and other movements of one limb they can be included to be the “meat” of your workout. This strategic schedule should dramatically increase hormone secretion, eleven structural balance exercises have started and for smaller muscles.